


the emergence

by constant



Series: we're putting the band back together [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Band Fic, M/M, Prequel to high and dry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27612826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/constant/pseuds/constant
Summary: Changbin asks Hyunjin to form a band with him.Hyunjin just wants to sort LPs correctly in that rusty old vinyl store where a cute employee is more than willing to indulge him in an argument.[or: the prequel/filler to high and dry that no one asked for]
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Series: we're putting the band back together [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2018842
Comments: 13
Kudos: 43





	the emergence

**Author's Note:**

> this is finally seeing the light of day solely bc she* was inspired by the seungmin playing guitar video @_@
> 
> * - ao3 user constant
> 
> i call this a prequel tho it feels more like a filler... the entire story is working on a non-linear narrative but i recommend reading [_high and dry_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26578012) first since more plot points were discussed in there
> 
> enjoy!

If he is to choose a starting point, it has to be the day Changbin received his drum kit. 

_06-10-19 4:34pm_

**bin hyung:** Aaaaaa _HYUNJIN_! 

**bin hyung:** _Oh my lord aaaaaa!!_

 **bin hyung:** _I’m IN LOVE._

 **me:** _y_

 **bin hyung:** _Kit just arrived!!!_

 **bin hyung:** _DRUM KIT_

 **bin hyung:** _THE DRUM KIT_

 **me:** _!!!!!!!!!_

 **bin hyung:** _Come check it out?_

 **me:** _gimme 15_

As soon as Hyunjin sends his final message, he scrambles out of bed and reaches for the closest hoodie he can find. The pile of homework he has been working on is lain forgotten, and though he gets a nagging feeling that he should definitely work on it now because he wouldn’t have the time to do so with the approaching deadline, he easily tunes out the gnawing feeling. He can always just copy from Felix. (God bless that thermodynamic-loving genius). 

He throws the hoodie over his head, slides his arms into the sleeves, then ruffles his hair before taking a quick look at his reflection in the mirror. Both his pants and his hoodie (and the shirt he’s wearing underneath it) are a size bigger than him. Aside from his unkempt hair, everything seems cool enough for him. Grabbing for the beanie on his computer desk, Hyunjin puts the garment on his head, just enough to conceal most of his hair. 

Fifteen minutes. 

More or less, it takes him usually fifteen minutes to reach Changbin’s house on foot. It’s only a few blocks away, and fortunately, Hyunjin’s just patient enough to head there almost every day for practice. He’s just passing through the familiar route on the way to Changbin’s neighborhood when he catches a savory whiff of _bungeo ppang_ , making him stop in his tracks and take a few strides backwards towards the mini kiosk. 

“I’ll take four, please.” Hyunjin smiles at the lady, noticing a familiar graphic poster just over her shoulder. 

A mouth sticking out its tongue, its upper front teeth slightly peeking out from red glossy lips. _The rolling stones logo._

Scanning the entire wall, Hyunjin recognizes a few more. _The Beatles, Green Day, 4 Non Blondes_ . There’s even a poster of that famous local band in the early 2000s, _Buzz_.Taking a better look, Hyunjin realizes that it wasn’t just a wall. It was a store. A record store, to be exact. 

It’s wedged between a laundromat and a PC _Bang_ which makes it weird because these two stores are familiar to him - being how he visits Changbin all the time since most of their equipment are stored in the older's house. It may be due to the fact that its neighboring stores garner more attention, or that the bread kiosk blocks it from view that Hyunjin's only noticing this rusty store. Perhaps it's because of the outdated unappealing posters on the exterior. If anyone’s passing through the street for the first time, you really have to pay attention to notice it. 

Right after paying for the bread, Hyunjin rushes inside the store, feeling a surge of excitement course through him. It’s like discovering a portal to a parallel universe, like discovering the wardrobe to Narnia. 

As he steps into the store, the first thing he notices is the smell. It kind of reminds him of his highschool’s library, except the smell here is richer, stronger, if that makes sense. It smells of old books with a mix of plastic wrap, and heavily tread carpet. It’s the pleasant kind, and Hyunjin finds that he likes it. 

The room is small, but they manage to fit two rows of display in the center, creating three narrow aisles which barely looks like it could fit two people together. 

Hyunjin goes over to the nearest stack of displays and indulges himself. He checks the price of one Michael Jackson LP and almost chokes in his own saliva. 

Hyunjin had a feeling that they were going to be expensive, but he wasn’t expecting this high of a price. Looking around, the store doesn’t look like it sold much, and people nowadays aren’t really into records anymore, which makes Hyunjin wonder how the store has managed to keep going after all this time. 

He has a fair amount of physical albums of his favorite bands, none of which are LPs. The thought of collecting vinyl records hasn't really crossed his mind. If there’s one moment where he dreamed of ever having one, it’s when he found out that _Fountains of Wayne_ had released a limited edition vinyl of _Sky Full of Holes_ , his favorite album. Now the dream seems to have further distanced itself away as he stares at the number of digits on the price of a normal LP, thinking just how much it would cost more for something limited. With a shake of his head, Hyunjin inserts the MJ record back to the stack and hurries out the door. 

  
  
  


He receives an earful as soon as he arrives at Changbin’s house. Hyunjin tosses the older the bag of bread, and instantly, Changbin shuts up. 

“Where is it?” Hyunjin asks eagerly, though he already knows where the instrument is going to be. 

“It’s in the garage. Come on.” 

Hyunjin looks around, noticing the absence of one of the prime instruments of the garage. His heartstrings tug a little as he asks, "Where'd your old kit go?" 

Changbin shrugs as he heads towards his corner. "I'm putting it up on sale. Here, wanna try it out?" Changbin hands him his drumsticks, and motions over for Hyunjin to take his usual seat - the drummer's seat. Drums isn't Hyunjin's instrument, but he knows enough of the basics to try and test out a new set and see if it's good.

And _wow_ . _‘Good’_ is such an understatement. 

"This is amazing." Hyunjins huffs out, a little breathless, staring at the neat kit in front of him. 

"Okay, now, don't go falling in love with my baby." Changbin pushes him off the seat, and somehow manages to take the drumsticks away from him. 

"Check this out." Changbin starts off at a steady pace, creating momentum. Then he increases the tempo, slapping at every part of the drum at such speed that Hyunjin couldn't even keep up. His sick drum solo lasted for about two minutes, and when he's done, Changbin is sweating. Hyunjin, on the other hand, is highly impressed. 

"Woah.” He looks at the older with an incredulous look on his face. “Where did you learn to do that?" 

Changbin runs his fingers through his hair, smirking, obviously amused by his reaction. "Youtube." 

Hyunjin was actually more surprised than impressed because the last time he checked, Changbin was dreadful. The older boy must have spent every minute of his free time practicing that piece because that was by far the best thing he has ever played. To be fair, it's only been a few months since Changbin has completely devoted himself to playing the instrument. As a kid, he used to have cello and violin lessons, courtesy of his parents, and in highschool, Changbin spent four years in a marching band, which must have sparked his interest in percussion. 

He began to take notice of Changbin's determination at this point, but Hyunjin hasn't expected for the older to take it seriously as asking to form a band with him. 

The arrival of the new drum set sparked their motivation to practice almost every day which means Hyunjin has to go to the garage almost every day, _which means_ Hyunjin passes by the vinyl store _every day._

  
  
  


Okay. 

Okay, maybe Hyunjin visited the record store more than a few times after that first one, and it wasn't even because he discovered a newfound love towards vinyls. He still finds them insanely expensive (for a college student, that is) and prefers the easier way of accessing music through recent technologies. 

There is just something about it which draws Hyunjin in.

One thing he likes about the old record store is, of course, the smell. After discovering the store, it seemed like every time Hyunjin passed by that street, he swears he could smell that blend of old books, plastic wraps and tread carpet. He's not going to deny that it's what made him come back a second time, just to take a better hit of that good stuff. What made him keep coming, however, was another thing. 

On his second visit, while Hyunjin was pretending to be preoccupied in the ‘punk rock’ section (to make it less obvious that he was only there for the store’s smell), he notices something which completely throws him off. 

He stares at the record in his hand, _‘In Utero_ ’ by _Nirvana_. He stares at it like it had just done something to offend him, as if an inanimate object is ever capable of doing so. Hyunjin glances at the labelled section again. ‘Punk rock’ it said, written in black marker. Now that he’s paying attention, he realizes that every label in the store is written with the same black marker on a bond paper. Bond paper! Well at least the handwriting is neat, Hyunjin would give them that. He looks down at the album again, wincing in disbelief. 

“May I help you?” 

Hyunjin looks towards the voice, surprised that someone has snuck up on him without him noticing. He sees the name tag pinned on his shirt first - Seungmin, that’s what it read - then he looks up at his eyes. For a moment, Hyunjin forgets about his perplexity, about him taking offense over a mislabeled vinyl record. 

Hyunjin shakes his head. “No, I was just-” He stops midway, not really sure on what he was about to say. He opens his mouth to make up an excuse, when he realizes he doesn’t have anything, he closes it shut again. The boy - Seungmin - raises a brow at him. 

Hyunjin looks down at the album again, then up to the ‘punk rock’ label before him. 

“Actually-” He begins, courage slowly building inside him. “There _is_ something.” 

Seungmin's expression still borders between curiosity and confusion as he closes the remaining distance between them. Hyunjin holds up the album towards him. 

“I believe this is put in the wrong section.” Hyunjin says in one breath, but Seungmin seems to have heard him just fine, if the deepening of his frown is any indication. 

“What do you mean ‘put in the wrong section’?” 

Hyunjin sighs, despite already having expected that an argument is bound to rise out of this. 

“I found the album in this section.” Hyunjin points to the stack in front of him. 

“And?” 

Hyunjin gapes at him. “And that’s the problem.” When Seungmin shows no sign of comprehension, Hyunjin decides to cut to the chase, “‘ _In Utero_ ’ is not punk rock.” 

Hyunjin thinks he sees a glint of amusement pass in his eyes but he’s not entirely sure. The other boy crosses his arms and leans against the rack- against the ‘punk rock’ section - as if taunting him. 

“Nirvana _is_ punk rock.” 

Hyunjin recoils. He sputters out a scoff and a couple of indecipherable words at the same time due to utter disbelief. 

Such a way to throw a blow with words! 

“No, they’re _not_!”

Seungmin stares at him indifferently. His face is just blank. For some reason, this ticks Hyunjin even more. 

“If they’re not punk rock, _sir-_ ” Taunting, taunting. “Then what category do you think they fall into?” 

Hyunjin shakes his head a few times, forcing himself to calm down. “Grunge, mostly. But they could also pass as alternative rock or maybe even noise- wait, did you just say _‘category’_?”

Seungmin actually laughs now, "The transition of your expressions was very funny." 

Hyunjin is in awe with this guy. "Do you say weird stuff like that to people you just met?" 

He shrugs. "Not always. Only to rude customers." 

" _Rude customers_?" Hyunjin almost shouts. When he realizes he has raised his voice, he lowers it down. "Me? Rude?"

"Well, as how it's not any of your business how we run this store, I think telling the employees how to do their job is downright disrespectful." 

"I didn't say- hey, now. This isn't about your store or your job. This is about _music."_ And to emphasize his point, Hyunjin runs his fingers through the _Nirvana_ record. "I say, show some respect. Label them properly." 

Hyunjin's sure he sees a fleeting smirk on the employee's face, but it doesn't even last a second before he set his expression sternly again. 

“Look, mister. Does this place look like it could cover all the genres in the world to you? The store normally categorizes the vinyls according to their closest area. Thus, _‘In Utero_ ’ falls in punk rock. With all due respect to Kurt Cobain, of course.” Seungmin adds, grabbing the album from him and returning it to its rack, closing the discussion. 

Now that he mentions it, Hyunjin takes another look around the store. When he realizes that the employee is right about his point, Hyunjin shakes his head, sighing. 

“Unbelievable. You don’t even have a _grunge_ section.” 

Seungmin ignores him as he walks back to his place behind the cash register. Unknowingly, Hyunjin follows suit. 

"I reckon you're a music major?" Seungmin asks as he arranges some papers - invoices it seems - on the counter, not even looking at him. 

"Um, no." 

"You seem to know _your music_." There is an emphasis on the last two words, and if Hyunjin wasn't too burned out on the last argument, he would have started another one. Instead, he just shrugs. 

"I get by." 

Seungmin only hums, and Hyunjin watches as he proceeds to straighten out the display behind him. He doesn't know why he can't seem to just turn around and leave the store. Maybe it's something about the argument earlier that's making him glued to the floor. 

After gathering the courage, Hyunjin finally says, "Sorry if I came out a bit rude, by the way. It wasn't my intention." 

Seungmin finally looks at him, mild surprise evident on his face. "Don't worry. You're not the first person to come in here and point out the mislabelled records. One time, an old lady complained about finding _'The Beach Boys'_ on the hip hop rack." 

" _No_. You're kidding." 

Seungmin laughs now - a breathy dulcet sound which doesn’t match his indifferent and argumentative disposition earlier at all. It’s more than enough to let Hyunjin know that he’s only joking around, and that perhaps, their argument didn’t leave a negative impression on him. Knowing this, Hyunjin leaves the vinyl store lightheartedly, calling out to the employee behind the cash register on his way to the door: “It was nice meeting you! And _Nirvana_ still isn’t punk rock!” 

He closes the door behind him, the sound of Seungmin’s soft chuckles fading away as he does so. 

  
  
  


“About that band…” 

Changbin has already dropped him ‘ _the question_ ’ a few days before. Since they left it as a joking matter, it never crossed Hyunjin’s mind again, nor did Changbin ever mention it a second time. 

Until now. 

They were in Hyunjin's room, studying. _Supposedly_. 

Changbin is sprawled on the bed, books and notes laid out beside him. Hyunjin sits on his desk, his stack of notes remaining untouched for the last forty minutes. 

“What band?” 

“Our band? You know when I asked you-”

“But you said you were joking.” 

“Yeah, well…” Changbin shrugs. Hyunjin studies his face closely. 

“Oh my god. You’re serious.” Hyunjin sits up. “Hyung, you can’t be serious.” 

_A band._ A band with Changbin! If that's not the craziest shit Hyunjin has ever heard then he doesn't know what is.

"Is that a no?" Changbin asks warily, spinning one of his drumsticks in his fingers so expertly you'd think he is as good at playing the drums. He never goes anywhere without his drumsticks. He thinks it makes him look cool or something.

"It’s a crazy idea." With that said, Hyunjin turns his back from the older, reading the first line on his textbook again. 

"Think about it, Jinnie." Changbin pauses, then, "We already have _the garage_ as our turf." 

"Turf, really." Hyunjin repeats in a sarcastic tone, a small smile forming on his lips in spite of himself. 

"We just need three other members! Actually, I think we could do with just two." 

Hyunjin turns to look at him again. Changbin’s already on his feet. "Hyung-" 

"We could do with just two _if_ our frontman could play the rhythm as well. Then, we just need to find a lead." Changbin drones on for about another minute or two, pacing back and forth in Hyunjin's bedroom. When he's finally done, he looks at the younger with an expectant face. 

"Well? What do you say?" 

"I didn't know you were this passionate for music." 

Changbin groans, possibly sensing the start of an argument. "I _am_ passionate, Jinnie! I am serious about this." 

"Hyung, I don't mean any offense, but you're practically a beginner!" 

"But I've been in the marching band for three years, and I used to have cello and violin lessons. Also, none taken." 

"I don't see why that's relevant in our argument right now." 

"What I'm saying is, I've got the theory." 

Barely. Hyunjin almost says out loud.

"And you have the talent, and that's a thousand times better than having the theory.”

"Hyung-" 

"No, no, Hyunjin. You don't see it." Changbin kneels in front of him and places his hands on his. "What we have right now is balance. I kid you not, you are the best musician I have ever met. You are amazing, Hyunjin, and I think it'd be such a waste to throw away great talent like that. And I know I still have a lot of things to work out on-" 

"Plenty." 

"-but I'll practice! I'll practice every day until my eardrums split or until my wrists crack." 

Hyunjin actually laughs. "You're exaggerations are a bit too much." But Changbin isn't laughing. He presses his lips into a straight line and stares straight into Hyunjin's soul. 

"You and me, we can make an awesome band. You and me, together." 

"You and me, can't even get our rhythm right - with just two instruments." It's true. And it’s funny because the drums and the bass are supposed to be the two instruments that should flow easily together. 

"I said I'll practice, okay? I promise. Let's not go around in circles, you know how I hate repeating myself." 

Hyunjin nods. "Yeah." Changbin must have noticed his reluctance because then, he sighs. 

"Think about it, okay?" 

Hyunjin doesn't think he'd ever change his mind no matter how much time Changbin gives him to think his decision over. Hyunjin loves music. He loves playing. But he can't ever picture himself playing in a band. Despite this, he says, "Okay." 

Changbin stands back up with a fat smile on his face. His gaze focuses on something on Hyunjin's shelf, then his face contorts to confusion, the smile slowly fading from his face. 

Hyunjin follows his gaze and panics when he realizes what his friend has been staring at. The _Tupac_ vinyl sits there in all its glory, and it's already too late for Hyunjin to hide it. 

"Since when were you a fan of… rap music?"

Hyunjin's cheeks heat up and he's convinced it's more than just due to embarrassment. 

" _Tupac_ is the OG, man. Don't argue." 

Changbin raises his hands as if in defeat. "Not arguing." 

To Hyunjin's relief, Changbin drops the topic. 

  
  
  


Okay. Okay, maybe Hyunjin visited the record store yet _another_ time after that last one. 

He didn’t really think it through, it’s as if his legs had minds of their own as he steps in the store and the bell chimes resonate in the room, making the employee behind the cash wrap counter look up. 

As soon as Seungmin’s eyes land on him, he gives him a calculating, doubtful look and Hyunjin’s forced to form an on-the-spot excuse for being back at the store so soon.

“I am here to buy a present for my friend.” 

“Really.” Seungmin’s tone indicates that he’s not buying it. 

“Yes.” Hyunjin firmly replies. 

“What’s his _genre_?” 

Hyunjin gives him a fleeting glare before scanning the store to help him acquire an idea. He spots a shelf suspended above the racks against the wall. One small section that is perfect for his little scheme. “He likes… rap.” 

"Mmm-hmm." 

Hyunjin ignores his doubting tone. " _Tupac_." 

"Sorry?" Seungmin leans a little over the counter to look at him properly. 

"I said, my friend loves _Tupac._ Do you have anything of his?" 

Seungmin doesn't reply immediately, the subtle knit of his brows and his spaced out expression indicating that he's deep in thought. 

"I believe they're all sold out." 

Hyunjin has to bite his lip to hide a smile. 

Perfect, just perfect. 

"Okay. If I place my order now, when can I expect to claim it?" 

Another short pause - Hyunjin can almost see the gears in his brain working. 

"You can opt to have it shipped at your-" 

Hyunjin cuts him off, the words leaving his mouth before he can even stop them. "No, no. I want to pick it up here." 

A playful smile appears on Seungmin’s face then, and Hyunjin’s almost afraid that he has figured out his intentions. 

“You know you can just visit the store as you like without troubling yourself with these nonsense excuses, right?” 

Hyunjin looks at him with a deadpan expression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His ears has the blessing of hearing that melodic laughter again, and Hyunjin feels the urge to think ahead of his next excuse for when he barges into the vinyl store next time - _the more stupid the better,_ if it means prompting a laugh from the employee. 

  
  
  


Changbin’s idea of forming a band with him never crossed Hyunjin’s mind again for two whole weeks. Final exams came as quickly as he expected them to, forcing Hyunjin to lock himself in his room, studying concepts and equations until sunrise, or until it’s time for him to get back to campus and hope to ace that exam with not a wink of sleep. Hell weeks are probably the only moment in which Hyunjin and Changbin don't meet up to practice, giving an immense relief to the former since he’s sure that there are moments where they almost neglect their academic responsibilities to the point that they might as well just drop out and focus on music.

Hyunjin cares dearly for both - his education and his hobby, but the former is mostly driven by his parents’ imposed pressure on him. As they’ve said, “Where can music lead you?” 

In some ways, they’re right. There are a lot of hopeful musicians who never _made_ it, and just what does Hyunjin think that he could be one of the lucky ones who can?

It’s probably the reason why Hyunjin’s adamant on refusing the whole band idea, afraid that he might give in to the temptation and stop pursuing the career that his parents have chosen for him. Hyunjin loves music, but he loves his parents too. He would have taken a music-related major if they hadn't stepped in, choosing the one which felt closest to his heart. But the fact that his parents are supportive in his musical hobbies - buying the expensive instruments and paying for the concerts he wishes to go to - is enough for him to give up his dream major and take on their advice instead. 

Changbin’s band idea never crossed Hyunjin’s mind again until he stepped in the vinyl store for the first time in two weeks. Since there had been no practice with Changbin, he had not the chance to pass by the store given the lack of free time that the exam week had deprived him of. He doesn’t realize how much he missed the place, the smell, the creak on the floor by the door, the various art designs of the album covers on display, and the cute employee behind the cash wrap counter until he’s sprinting his way towards the store, imagining all of these things at once, but mostly of seeing Seungmin again. 

It seems like every time Hyunjin steps in the store feels like the first time. This moment is different. 

As soon as he swings the door open, he’s met with a sweet familiar melody which completely takes his breath away. 

He moves closer towards the counter, chest tingling in excitement on whatever he’s about to witness. 

Seungmin is in his usual spot behind the counter, only this time, a guitar is on his lap. Normally, when Hyunjin’s attention is caught by someone playing an instrument, his eyes would focus on the hands on the strings, or the keys. But for some reason, he can’t take his gaze away from Seungmin’s face. 

There’s something about the way he delivers the song which captures Hyunjin entirely. It’s more than just hitting the right notes, or playing the guitar flawlessly. It’s as if George Harrison himself conducted a seminar about the correct deliverance of _Here Comes the Sun,_ and Seungmin had poured a hundred percent of his attention into it. 

There’s something else. Hyunjin doesn’t want to say it because it sounds awfully cliché even just in his mind, but the words make their way into his consciousness anyway, and for the rest of the song, it’s the only thing he can think of: Seungmin is so _so_ pretty. 

He manages to snap out of his daze as soon as Seungmin’s done with his song, speaking first before the other can even notice his presence. “You never told me you play the guitar.” 

Seungmin jumps in his seat then turns towards him with a frightened expression. But when he meets Hyunjin’s gaze, his face immediately softens, settling into a cute little scowl. 

“Well, you never asked.”

Hyunjin moves closer towards him, stopping just before the counter. Seungmin’s just plucking at the strings again - almost mindlessly - when the thought strikes Hyunjin. 

“Wait, can you play that again?” 

“Huh?” 

“The riff.” 

Confused, Seungmin does as he’s told, satisfying Hyunjin greatly with his flawless execution. 

His heart starts hammering in his chest due to excitement. “Can you play anything else?” 

Seungmin recoils, probably misinterpreting the question as a challenge. He laughs. “Of course, I can play more.” 

“No, I mean, can you show me more?” 

“Why?” 

Seungmin’s skeptical tone makes Hyunjin realize how pushy he sounds right now. But he wasn’t able to contain his excitement when the idea popped in his head - _Will Changbin let him off the hook if he refers someone else for his band instead?_

Before Hyunjin can even change his mind, he tells Seungmin about the band. 

“You’re in a _band_?” The way his eyes light up makes Hyunjin wish that he is, just to please him even more. 

“No. Not me. My friend.” Hyunjin considers this for a short moment, then, “At least not yet. He’s still looking for potential members.” 

Seungmin’s jaw drops uncharacteristically, and Hyunjin stifles a giggle. 

“And you think I have the potential?” 

Hyunjin shrugs, feigning nonchalance. Truth is, he’s itching to praise how good Seungmin is, how he had successfully managed to captivate Hyunjin with his soft singing voice (and that was just one performance and a half) but for some reason, he wants to keep his feelings to himself. For now. 

“Sure. I’ve known Changbin hyung basically my whole life. I think I know what he’s looking for.” 

Seungmin lets out a high-pitched squeal. Before Hyunjin knows it, he’s being strangled in an awkward ‘over the counter’ hug, Seungmin’s guitar hitting the edge of the counter in a loud thud. 

“Ow, oof! Okay, okay.” 

“Thank you!” 

Hyunjin couldn’t help laughing. He tries not to think too much about the way Seungmin smells of laundry soap and a subtle tinge of lavender scent. 

“Not to rain on your parade or anything, but you’re not officially in the band yet.” 

Seungmin lets him go, flushing slightly. “Right. Sorry. Got carried away.” 

  
  


He brings Seungmin to the garage as soon as they have the time in their hands, giving Changbin a heads up about bringing someone over. He doesn’t tell him who, just that he’ll definitely thank Hyunjin for introducing him so. It turns out, Hyunjin’s hunch about Changbin liking Seungmin proves to be right. The drummer didn’t even ask Seungmin to perform anything so he could evaluate his skills. As soon as Hyunjin mentions the words, ‘ _join the band_ ’, Changbin starts screaming - to Hyunjin’s mortification - and pulls them both in a bone-crushing hug. His excitement seems to have rubbed off on Seungmin, because he starts jumping along with him. This baffles Hyunjin a lot - them liking each other from the get-go. They don’t even know anything about each other yet.

“I knew you’d come through!” Changbin points at Hyunjin proudly when he moves away from them. 

It takes a second for Hyunjin to realize the meaning behind the older’s words. 

“What? Wait, no. I just brought him here, but I’m still out of the picture.”

Changbin snorts. “Oh, please. Bringing someone in means you’ve been _thinking_ about it. It’s high time you stop and submit to your heart’s desire.”

Changbin’s logic baffles Hyunjin’s mind sometimes. 

“That’s the thing-” 

“You’re part of the band, too?” Seungmin cuts in, looking from Hyunjin to Changbin and then back. 

“No. No, I’m _not_ part of the band.” 

“Oh, yes you are.” Changbin.

“You are?” Seungmin.

“He is.” Changbin.

“No! Argh!” 

At this point, the other two have chosen to ignore him; Changbin finally holding a mini-interview on the newcomer which looks too friendly in Hyunjin’s opinion. 

“I’m not in the band!” Hyunjin calls towards them, only to be ignored. 

Three days later, their lead guitarist, Minho, is welcomed as the third member, though his arrival hasn't officially completed the band. 

They are still missing a bassist, but Hyunjin’s still insistent as ever on not joining in. 

He supposes it was the way of being in the same practice room, of hearing them play clumsily without the aid of the low tones of a bass guitar. Or it was just the way Changbin keeps silencing him whenever he pitches in his ideas or suggestions, saying: “No role in the band, no opinion.” 

Needless to say, Hyunjin eventually caves in. 

They don’t exactly remember how or when, just that the presence of a fourth member completes the sound of the music that they’re trying to get at. 

And when the music starts to fall into place, the band is formed. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! <3


End file.
